Oven roasted Arbi / cheppankazhangu / Taro root / chama dhumpa

I never get to click pics of this dish. Reason being, my DH who cant resist eating them right out of the oven. Traditionally, taro root or colocasia fry is a popular dish in south indian cuisines. As much as I love it, i cant get myself to deep frying anything. So here is my equally yummy oven roasted version.


You need: Serves 3 or 4  (in our case- 2)
arbi/ Taro root - 12 small /medium (root chunks)
Water - just enough to pressure cook them
salt - to taste
turmeric powder - 2-3 pinches
hing /asafoetida - 2 pinches
curry leaves - a string (5-6)
lemon rind or tamarind - 1 small strip (for use while pressure cooking the root)
Kuzhambu powder - 3 tsps or less
oil (olive or sunflower) - 2 - 3 tsps
water - 1 tbsp to sprinkle



Procedure: 
Wash colocasia and pressure cook them with a little salt and lemon rind /tamarind strip (salt keeps them from turning squishy and lemon rind helps in removing any acrid/bitterness in the root) (lemon cleans the insides of a pressure cooker too :)) 
After two whistles, leave the cooker to cool
drain water out and peel the roots and chop them into 1/2 inch pieces
In the mean while - combine - oil, turmeric powder, hing, salt and kuzhambu powder and curry leaves
pour over the chopped arbi/roots and toss gently

Transfer marinated arbi onto a tray, set the oven to 385 F and roast for 25-30 minutes (middle rack)

Sprinkle a little water over arbi after 10 minutes (to keep them moist and crispy)

Serve with rice or if you are like my DH, this would make a wonderful snack :)